The FBI has significantly intensified its investigations into individuals with ties to Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that attacked Israel on October 7, sparking the current war in Gaza. The move comes amid growing concerns about the possibility of terrorist attacks on American soil as the debate over the war grows ever more vitriolic.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that the Bureau is looking into potential terrorist activity in the United States and urged “heightened vigilance” among Americans.
Federal authorities have opened “multiple investigations into individuals affiliated” with the Hamas terror group, but have not yet unearthed credible threats to the US, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers Wednesday.
Wray did underscore that there is a “heightened threat environment” as calls grow for attacks on America and added that his most pressing concern was “homegrown violent extremists.”
“Since Oct. 7, we’ve seen a rogue’s gallery of foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks against Americans and our allies,” Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee.
“Given those calls for action, our most immediate concern is that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” he went on.
While calling for Americans to show “heightened vigilance,” Wray also stressed that it is “by no means a time for panic.”
The concern over terrorist activity in the U.S. comes after several attacks have occurred in France, China, and the United Kingdom against Jewish people. Wray’s assessment indicates that the authorities are taking potential threats seriously.
Wray’s comments suggest that the Israel-Hamas war might escalate even further beyond the boundaries of the Middle East. Indeed, there have been several developments indicating that radical extremists might be entering the country via the southern border.
In October, the San Diego Field Office of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department’s Intelligence Division issued a warning for law enforcement agencies near the border to anticipate terrorists affiliated with Hamas and other organizations.
In the advisory, which is marked "Law Enforcement Sensitive," the agency says that people in the U.S. who are sympathetic to Hamas and are attempting to join the group in the area of the war may attempt to leave through the southern border. In addition to this, they further warn that foreign fighters associated or sympathetic with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad will most likely attempt to conceal their travel or transit to the United States by coming through the open southern borders.
It was also revealed in October that a record number of illegal immigrants with ties to terrorist groups were apprehended at the southern border in September.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics released on Saturday, border officials arrested 18 people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list in September alone, making fiscal year 2023 a record year for terrorist-related encounters at the southern border.
Moreover, 169 illegals on the watch list were encountered between ports of entry at the border in the past 12 months, exceeding not only the record-setting total (98) of 2022; but the number of encounters also exceeded the last six fiscal years combined.
The possibility of terrorist attacks appears to be a real threat – especially if Wray and others are increasing investigations into individuals who might be involved with Hamas and other terrorist groups. Hopefully, the administration will be up to the task of preventing more carnage on American soil.